UOB Preferred Visa Card Review 2026: The Beginner’s Guide to Singapore’s Dual-Category 4 mpd Card
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If HSBC Revolution rewards specific categories and DBS Woman’s World Card rewards anything online, the UOB Preferred Visa Card rewards something different: tapping your phone. It’s the easiest card in Singapore to use for in-person spending, because it doesn’t care what you’re buying — a haircut, a dental bill, bubble tea, groceries — as long as you pay with a digitised card in your mobile wallet.
That simplicity took a hit in October 2025, when UOB split what was one flexible bonus pool into two separate, smaller sub-caps. And in March 2026, the card was renamed from “UOB Preferred Platinum Visa Card” to “UOB Preferred Visa Card”. This guide covers exactly how the two-part bonus structure works, what’s excluded, and which hacks you can use with this card.
Who Should Get the UOB Preferred Visa Card?
This card suits someone who spends mostly in person — retail, dining, services, everyday errands — and is comfortable paying via a digitised card in Apple Pay or Google Pay rather than tapping the physical card.
To maximise the full value, you need to actively route roughly S$600 a month through Selected Online Transactions as well, on top of your usual contactless spend.
It also suits a lower income bracket, with the income requirement being S$30,000. UOB Preferred Visa works well as a low-effort companion to another card with a wider transfer network, since UOB UNI$ converts to only two useful airline programmes.
What Is the UOB Preferred Visa Card?
The UOB Preferred Visa Card — formerly known as UOB Preferred Platinum Visa Card (UOB PPV) — is a Visa Signature card earning UNI$, UOB’s rewards currency, convertible into air miles, vouchers, or cash rebates.
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Annual fee | S$196.20, waived year one; must be manually requested every subsequent year (no automatic spend-based waiver) |
| Base earn rate | 1 UNI$ per S$5 (0.4 mpd) on all other spend, uncapped |
| Bonus earn rate | 10 UNI$ per S$5 (4 mpd), split across two separate categories: Mobile Contactless and Selected Online Transactions |
| Monthly bonus cap | S$600 per category, per calendar month (S$1,200 total if you max both) |
| Minimum income | S$30,000 (Singaporeans/PRs aged ≤55), S$15,000 (aged 56+), S$40,000 (foreigners) |
| Foreign transaction fee | 3.25% |
| UNI$ validity | 2 years from the last day of the calendar quarter earned (effectively up to 2 years 3 months) |
| Card network | Visa Signature (upgraded from Visa Platinum) |
How the Rewards Actually Work
This card is unusual because it runs two different earning models simultaneously, and understanding the difference is important to properly maximize the rewards.
Mobile Contactless Transactions
Mobile Contactless Transactions work on a blacklist basis, just like DBS Woman’s World Card’s online spend. As long as a transaction isn’t on UOB’s general exclusion list (education, government services, utilities, insurance, and similar), tapping your digitised card via Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, or Fitbit Pay earns the bonus rate, regardless of merchant.
Selected Online Transactions
Selected Online Transactions work on a whitelist basis where only online purchases at specific, UOB-listed Merchant Category Codes (MCCs) qualify.
Both share the same 4 mpd bonus rate, but each now has its own separate S$600 monthly cap. Theoretically, you can earn bonus miles on up to S$1,200 combined, but you need to actively spread your spending across both channels. Relying on just one caps you at S$600, roughly half of what was previously achievable before the split.
Example: You spend S$1,200 in a month — S$600 via mobile contactless payments in-store, and S$600 on eligible online purchases.
- Both S$600 portions hit their respective caps at 4 mpd: 600 × 4 × 2 = 4,800 miles.
- If instead you’d put the full S$1,200 through mobile contactless alone, only the first S$600 earns 4 mpd (2,400 miles) — the remaining S$600 drops to base rate at 0.4 mpd (240 miles), for a total of just 2,640 miles. That’s nearly half the miles for the same spending
The physical card only earns 0.4 mpd when tapped, even at a contactless terminal. You must digitise the card into a mobile wallet and tap your phone or watch to trigger the 4 mpd Mobile Contactless bonus.
The bonus cap is enforced by posting date, not transaction date. For example, a transaction made on 30 September that posts on 2 October counts toward October’s cap.
If you have a supplementary card, it does not increase your bonus cap. UOB’s TMRW app does not tally the spending against either sub-cap. You can make tracking easier by putting all your Mobile Contactless spend on the principal card and all your Selected Online spend on the supplementary.
How are the miles calculated?
UOB Preferred Visa use S$5 earning blocks for both base and bonus points, since they are calculated together per transaction rather than on separate schedules.
The formula: round the transaction amount down to the nearest S$5 first, then divide by 5 and multiply by the points rate (10 UNI$ per S$5 for a bonus-eligible transaction). This means, it rounds the transaction amount before any points are calculated, instead of the final point total.
Examples:
- A S$9.99 transaction rounds down to S$5 → earns UNI$10 (20 miles) — the same as if you’d spent exactly S$5
- A S$4.99 transaction rounds down to S$0 → earns nothing
- A S$499 transaction rounds down to S$495 → earns 990 UNI$ (1,980 miles), versus the 1,996 miles a flat 4 mpd would suggest — an effective rate of 3.97 mpd
The one exception is SimplyGo: UOB totals your entire month’s bus/MRT spend first, then rounds that single total down to the nearest S$5 before calculating points.
The Maximum Miles You Can Earn if You Hit the Cap Every Month
Here’s the maximum miles you can earn if you max out the different categories.
If you max out both S$600 caps every month:
- Monthly: (S$600 × 4 mpd) + (S$600 × 4 mpd) = 4,800 miles
- Annual: 4,800 × 12 = 57,600 miles
If you rely on a single channel every month:
- Monthly: S$600 × 4 mpd = 2,400 miles
- Annual: 2,400 × 12 = 28,800 miles
With 48,000–57,600 KrisFlyer miles, this is what you can realistically redeem, at current Saver award rates from Singapore:
| Redemption | Miles needed | Fits within 57,600? |
|---|---|---|
| Round-trip Economy Saver to Tokyo or Seoul | 51,000 | Yes, with 6,600 to spare |
| One-way Business Saver to Kuala Lumpur or Bali, twice over | 44,000 | Yes, with 13,600 to spare |
| One-way Business Saver to Bangkok | 25,000 | Yes, comfortably |
| Round-trip Economy Saver to Bangkok, twice over | 52,000 | Yes, with 5,600 to spare |
What Earns the Bonus — Categories and Merchants
| Category | Model | What counts | Popular examples | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile Contactless | Blacklist — anything not specifically excluded | Any in-person tap payment via digitised card in Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, or Fitbit Pay | Restaurants, supermarkets, department stores, hairdressers, pet stores, clinics — virtually anywhere with a contactless terminal | Physical card taps earn only 0.4 mpd. In-app or in-browser Apple/Google Pay payments (e.g. paying inside an app) don’t count as “contactless” |
| Selected Online Transactions | Whitelist — only listed MCCs | Named online merchants across shopping, entertainment, food delivery, and specific dining/retail MCCs (including 5812, 5814) | Amazon, Lazada, Redmart, FairPrice, Golden Village, SISTIC, Foodpanda, Deliveroo, GrabFood | Recurring/subscription billing is excluded even if the MCC itself is on the whitelist. In-app Apple/Google Pay purchases can still qualify here if the MCC matches |
| SimplyGo (bus/MRT) | Treated as Mobile Contactless | Public transport taps | Bus and MRT rides via SimplyGo | Accumulated over the full calendar month and credited on the 7th of the following month, rounded to the nearest S$5 block of your total monthly spend |
| Petrol | Selected Online Transactions | SPC and Shell only; must be paid via their own app | SPC app, Shell app | Not excluded by UOB. Draws from the S$600 online cap. A normal contactless tap at an SPC/Shell pump does not earn the bonus Other brands still earns under normal Mobile Contactless |
What’s Excluded
| Category | Applies to | Examples / notes |
|---|---|---|
| Education, government services, utilities, insurance, financial institutions | Both categories | Standard exclusions consistent with most Singapore bank cards |
| Recurring/subscription payments | Selected Online Transactions | Excluded even when the merchant’s MCC is otherwise whitelisted |
| MCC 5965 (Direct Marketing – Combination Catalog and Retail Merchants) | Selected Online Transactions | UOB removed this MCC from the whitelist years ago |
| Physical card contactless taps | Mobile Contactless | Earns 0.4 mpd only |
| In-app or in-browser Apple Pay/Google Pay | Mobile Contactless | Doesn’t count as “contactless” for this category (it may still earn under the Online category if the MCC matches) |
| Specific fintech workaround apps | Both | Amaze and “NORWDS” excluded |
Miles Redemption
UOB UNI$ convert to three frequent-flyer programmes: Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer, Cathay Pacific Asia Miles, and AirAsia Rewards. However, AirAsia Rewards has weak redemption value, so it is not worth redeeming.
| Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| Conversion ratio | 5,000 UNI$ = 10,000 miles — i.e. 1 UNI$ = 2 miles |
| Conversion fee | S$27 per redemption, waived for UOB’s premium cardholders (Reserve, Visa Infinite, Visa Infinite Metal, Privilege Banking) |
| Minimum transfer block | 5,000 UNI$ (10,000 miles) |
| Transfer time | Roughly 5 working days for KrisFlyer, up to 14 for Asia Miles |
| Auto-conversion programme | Not available |
You can use UOB Payment Facility which lets you pay bills, rent, insurance, or taxes for a service fee (usually at rates around 1.8%). These counts as spending eligible for UNI$ and, by extension, miles. This effectively lets you “buy” miles at a defined cost per mile and does not require an actual bill.
Additional Perks
- Visa Signature Luxury Hotel Collection access, including complimentary breakfast and room upgrades at participating hotels.
- Complimentary travel insurance: up to S$500,000 in flight inconvenience coverage, plus a S$5,000 Credit Card Liability Protector, if you charge the full travel fare to the card and submit the required form before departure.
Air tickets and cruises are not covered under the Selected Online Transactions bonus, and they earn just 0.4 mpd. There is little reason to use UOB Preferred Visa for flight bookings, regardless of the insurance perks.
Credit Card Fees
| Fee type | Amount |
|---|---|
| Annual fee | S$196.20, waived in year one |
| Foreign currency transaction fee | 3.25% |
| Miles conversion fee | S$27 per redemption |
| Interest rate | 27.8% p.a. |
| Late payment fee | S$100 |
If you don’t request (or aren’t granted) your annual fee waiver, UOB deducts UNI$6,500 (worth 13,000 miles) directly from your rewards balance instead. Do set a reminder to request your waiver every year without fail.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- The easiest 4 mpd card for in-person spending in Singapore — no MCC-tracking needed for Mobile Contactless, just tap your phone
- SimplyGo (bus/MRT) now earns the bonus rate
- Reasonably low income requirement (S$30,000 for most Singaporeans/PRs)
- UNI$ pool across other UOB cards (UOB Lady’s Card, UOB PRVI Miles, UOB Visa Signature) for combined redemptions
- Petrol at SPC and Shell earns the bonus rate
- No minimum spend required to unlock either bonus category
Cons
- Category split halved the usable cap for anyone relying on a single spending channel
- Physical card taps and in-app Apple/Google Pay payments don’t count as “contactless”
- Only two useful transfer partners (KrisFlyer, Asia Miles)
- S$27 conversion fee per redemption (no free auto-conversion option)
- Annual fee requires manual renewal every year
- Travel insurance added in 2026 is largely symbolic
- S$5 spend-block rounding means odd-dollar transactions (e.g. S$499) earn slightly less than the advertised 4 mpd
Hacks
1. Digitise the card immediately, and never tap the physical card. Add it to Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay the moment you receive it, and leave the physical card at home. Tapping the card earns just 0.4 mpd, which costs a 90% miles loss versus tapping your phone for the identical purchase.
2. Deliberately spread spend across both categories to hit the full S$1,200. Since the two S$600 caps don’t share a pool, maximise your total bonus by routing roughly equal amounts through Mobile Contactless (in-person) and Selected Online Transactions (online, whitelisted MCCs) each month, rather than relying on one channel to absorb everything.
3. Use HeyMax gift cards (MCC 5311) for the Online category, even though MCC 5965 was patched. UOB closed the popular MCC 5965 gift-card loophole in October 2024, but MCC 5311 (Department Stores) — which HeyMax gift card purchases also post under — still works. This is useful for converting spend that wouldn’t otherwise sit on the Online whitelist into bonus-eligible spend, particularly for those who rely more on in-person spending and want to make use of the Online category’s separate S$600 allowance.
4. Round large purchases to S$5 multiples where practical. Because bonus points are calculated in S$5 blocks, an odd-amount transaction like S$499 earns bonus points on only S$495, trimming the effective rate to about 3.97 mpd rather than a full 4 mpd. It’s a small issue, but avoidable on planned large purchases by splitting them into clean S$5 or S$100 chunks.
5. Request your annual fee waiver every single year. UOB requires an active request each year. Missing it costs you UNI$6,500 (13,000 miles).
6. Consider UOB Payment Facility for “buying” miles on large planned expenses. If you have a big, unavoidable payment coming up such as rent, insurance or tax, routing it through UOB Payment Facility converts it into UNI$-earning spend for a defined service fee, similar in spirit to Citi PayAll. Useful primarily for people who’ve maxed out their regular bonus categories and want to keep accumulating.
Who Should (and Shouldn’t) Get This Card
Good fit if you:
- Do most of your spending in person and are comfortable paying via mobile wallet rather than a physical card
- Can realistically spread spend across both mobile contactless and select online categories to make use of the full S$1,200 combined cap
- Want a lower-income-threshold miles card (S$30,000 for most Singaporeans/PRs)
- Already hold other UOB UNI$-earning cards and want pooled redemptions
Not a great fit if you:
- Rely on a single spending channel (e.g. exclusively contactless, or exclusively online) — you’ll only unlock half the card’s potential
- Want a wide transfer partner network. UOB only has three options
- Dislike manually requesting fee waivers every year
- Do significant travel booking through the card, expecting the new insurance perk to add real value
UOB Preferred Visa vs. Other Beginner Miles Cards
| Card | Bonus rate | Annual fee | Notable catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| UOB Preferred Visa | 4 mpd, split S$600 contactless + S$600 online (S$1,200 total) | S$196.20 (manual waiver each year) | Two separate sub-caps; only 3 transfer partners |
| HSBC Revolution | 4–8 mpd across dining/shopping/travel/transport (capped S$1,000–1,200/mo) | None | Whitelist model; excludes groceries, fast food, OTAs |
| DBS Woman’s World Card | 4 mpd, online only (capped S$1,000/mo) | S$196.20 (manual waiver each year) | Blacklist model; only 4 transfer partners; 1-year point expiry |
| Citi Rewards Card | Up to 4 mpd on shopping | Waivable | Narrower categories, mainly online/shopping |
UOB Preferred Visa is the easiest choice for in-person spending via Mobile Contactless. Its disadvantage is the effort now required to split spend across two separate caps to get full value.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to use the physical UOB Preferred Visa card?
No, and you should not be using it. Digitise it into Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay. Physical card taps earn only 0.4 mpd, versus 4 mpd for mobile wallet taps.
Is the UOB Preferred Visa Card the same as the UOB Preferred Platinum Visa?
Yes. It was renamed from “UOB Preferred Platinum Visa Card” to “UOB Preferred Visa Card” with a new design, Visa Signature upgrade, and added travel insurance. The earn rate and annual fee stayed the same.
How many transfer partners does UOB UNI$ have?
Technically three, but only two useful ones: Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer and Cathay Pacific Asia Miles.
Does the annual fee get waived automatically?
No. You must request a waiver every year through UOB. If you don’t, UOB deducts UNI$6,500 (13,000 miles) from your balance rather than charging cash.
Can I earn the bonus rate on SimplyGo (bus/MRT) trips?
Yes, as part of the Mobile Contactless category, though it’s tracked and credited monthly rather than per-trip.
Why didn’t my in-app Apple Pay purchase earn the bonus?
In-app or in-browser Apple Pay/Google Pay payments don’t count as “Mobile Contactless” because they’re not “in-person”. However, they may still earn the bonus under the Selected Online Transactions category if the merchant’s MCC is on that whitelist.
Summary: Should You Get the UOB Preferred Visa Card?
The UOB Preferred Visa Card remains one of the easiest ways to earn a strong 4 mpd rate on everyday in-person spending in Singapore. Simply digitise it and tap your phone, with no MCC list to memorise for that category. That ease of use, combined with a comparatively low income requirement, is its real selling point.
However, the 2-category split makes it harder for people to properly earn miles if the majority of their spending falls under a specific category. It also requires you to request an annual fee manually, and the added travel insurance perk does not add much value.
This article is for general educational purposes and does not constitute financial advice. TheBoringCFO is not a licensed financial adviser.
